In Elizabeth Wardle’s, “You Can Learn to Write in General”, I have interpreted that her overall message is that there cannot be a writing without a specified audience, purpose, or context. This is because many individuals seem to think that there is a “magic formula” to writing that will help in any situation. Personally, I did not realize I had this specific mindset until reading this piece of text. Now that I am aware of what I may be doing wrong and why I have experienced mental writing blocks, or simply struggling to get words down on the page because I am trying to think of this formula, it is a desired improvement of mine to follow her advice. First off, accept there is no writing in general or magic formula, but rather take what I already effectively know about writing from prior situations and apply it to the new context.
Personally, I have also additionally struggled with reading scholarly sources. I get so consumed in the fact there is so much information and I honestly get lost and overwhelmed with what is in front of me, which ultimately takes away from what the source is trying to tell me. This is something that I desire to improve on and so while reading Karen Rosenberg’s, “Reading Games: Strategies for Reading Scholarly Sources”, her idea of ‘Joining the Conversation’ really stood out to me and is something I will be trying the next time I have to read a scholarly source. She essentially states that instead of seeing it as information and work, think of it like you are participating in a conversation. Think about where the writer is coming from, why they may be writing about this, who they may be arguing with or trying to prove wrong with the information they are presenting. By doing this you will be more engaged with the text but it can further help you in class by preparing you for the arguments, debates, or debriefs about the text you may have with classmates or colleagues. Thinking about scholarly sources in this type of manner already makes me intrigued to read one and see if this strategy helps because personally, I believe it will. I believe that I will be able to gather and retain the information instead of feeling overwhelmed and bored.
Lastly, something that I am proud of that I believe is a strength of mine is structural choices along with word choice and diction. By no means do I use fancy or advanced vocabulary in my writings but I choose words that convey a certain tone to the reader. This allows readers to hear more of my voice, my opinions, where I am coming front, etc. Additionally my structural choices are very well organized and present material in a manner that is easy to follow. While reading Mike Bunn’s, “ How to Read Like a Writer”, I learned what it specifically means to read like a writer and how my strengths in my writing can help me do so. Reading like a writer refers to closely analyzing a text while you are reading it with a focus on the author’s craft and techniques. This involves paying attention to elements such as structural choices and word choice/diction such as what I am a strength in but also sentence structure, syntax, narrative techniques, and use of literary devices. The goal is not to just read the words on the page but understand how the writer has crafted the text to reach their desired impact on the reader.
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